SMU center Bamba Fall (back) swats the ball away from Rice forward Patrick Britton (front) during the second half of Saturday’s game at Moody Coliseum. (John Schreiber)

The SMU men’s basketball team (8-13, 2-6) will try for its third Conference USA victory this season when it faces Marshall tonight at Moody Coliseum.

The Valentine’s Eve showdown is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and will air on KAAM 770 AM.

Marshall (12-10, 4-5) is 1-8 on the road this season, with its only victory coming against the conference’s last-place Rice Owls. Conversely, SMU has won two consecutive hard-fought home games, including a 68-53 victory over Rice on Saturday.

The Owls dominated the first half of Saturday’s game versus SMU, as they entered the locker room with a 34-23 lead. However, SMU, led by Derrick Roberts, who scored a season-high 20 points, pummeled its rival with 45 second-half points.

The Mustangs hope to get off to a quicker start tonight and squash Marshall’s recent wave of momentum.

The Thundering Herd is coming off its biggest victory in conference play since 1996. Marshall stampeded East Carolina 83-49 Saturday, outscoring them 46-16 in the paint.

Sophomore Tyler Wilkerson scored a career-high 25 points Saturday. The 6-foot-8 sophomore has scored in double figures in four consecutive games.

Wilkerson will likely face a much more tenacious collection of post players tonight.

Freshman Papa Dia and junior Bamba Fall both have been impressive in the trenches on the defensive end this season for the Mustangs. Fall has tallied 49 blocks, while Dia has 18. Fall ranks second in the conference in blocks (2.5 per game).

Dia missed two games with a hamstring injury but started Saturday versus Rice, swatting three shots and collecting nine rebounds.

The Mustangs also will hope for a more consistent performance from their point guard, Jon Killen.

Killen won Conference USA’s Player of the Week Award after his 28-point performance in SMU’s 69-67 victory over Central Florida on Jan. 26.

Since then, Killen has been the focus of opposing defenses, and Rice locked him down in the first half Saturday. Going into the locker room, Killen had no points, one assist and seven turnovers.

However, the conference leader in assists broke out for 12 points and four assists in the second half.

Killen and the rest of the Mustangs’ guards will face a stiff test when they face Marshall’s Mark Dorris, who is a nightmare for opposing offenses. Dorris leads the Thundering Herd in steals with 38 this season.

Roberts, who didn’t start Saturday because of a migraine, is set to start alongside freshman Ryan Harp, Killen, Dia and Fall.

Marshall has won the previous two meetings between the two teams, each by only three points.